Moorea
51 sq. miles, 12 000 persons.
51 sq. miles, 12 000 persons.
The tallest volcanic peak, Tohiea Mont., having an altitude of 1,207
meters (3,983 ft.). The island is located 17 kilometers (11 miles) from the island of Tahiti. Moorea, with its two major
bays, Opunohu and Cook’s, has the shape of an isosceles triangle. The island’s history is linked directly to that of
Tahiti’s. British Captain Wallis named it York Island during his 1767 visit.
While some works indicate that the name Moorea means “yellow lizard”, those who strongly disagree prefer the less poetic interpretation of “kid”.
One finds the same literary difference of opinion involving a second name for the island that was much used during the European discovery period. That second name was neither “Eimeo” nor “Aimeo”, but “Aimeho”. That name indicates that very often after a defeat, Tahitian warriors came to Moorea to hide themselves and found the means by which to live.
Moorea’s history can hardly be separated from that of Tahiti. Populated during the same period (around 600 AD), the two islands were often linked together during the rich Polynesian history of the pre-European discovery era.
When Wallis arrived at Tahiti in 1767, he did not judge it necessary to explore Moorea. He called it only the “Duke of York’s Island”, a name that has long since fallen out of use. The first Europeans to set foot on Moorea were Captain Cook’s officers and naturalists, who crossed the channel from Tahiti on the night of June 1-2, 1769 to make an astronomic observation. Entering Moorea’s lagoon through the Opunohu pass in the coral reef, they installed themselves on Irioa “motu”, an islet that today is located opposite Club Méditerranée. Cook’s officers and naturalists chose the motu in order to protect themselves from unexpected visitors. Cook himself did not visit Moorea until 1777 during his third and last voyage to Tahiti. He anchored in Opunohu Bay on Sept. 30 and stayed there until Oct. 11. So it was this bay that should have been named in his honor and not Paopao Bay, which today is known as Cook’s Bay.
While some works indicate that the name Moorea means “yellow lizard”, those who strongly disagree prefer the less poetic interpretation of “kid”.
One finds the same literary difference of opinion involving a second name for the island that was much used during the European discovery period. That second name was neither “Eimeo” nor “Aimeo”, but “Aimeho”. That name indicates that very often after a defeat, Tahitian warriors came to Moorea to hide themselves and found the means by which to live.
Moorea’s history can hardly be separated from that of Tahiti. Populated during the same period (around 600 AD), the two islands were often linked together during the rich Polynesian history of the pre-European discovery era.
When Wallis arrived at Tahiti in 1767, he did not judge it necessary to explore Moorea. He called it only the “Duke of York’s Island”, a name that has long since fallen out of use. The first Europeans to set foot on Moorea were Captain Cook’s officers and naturalists, who crossed the channel from Tahiti on the night of June 1-2, 1769 to make an astronomic observation. Entering Moorea’s lagoon through the Opunohu pass in the coral reef, they installed themselves on Irioa “motu”, an islet that today is located opposite Club Méditerranée. Cook’s officers and naturalists chose the motu in order to protect themselves from unexpected visitors. Cook himself did not visit Moorea until 1777 during his third and last voyage to Tahiti. He anchored in Opunohu Bay on Sept. 30 and stayed there until Oct. 11. So it was this bay that should have been named in his honor and not Paopao Bay, which today is known as Cook’s Bay.
Source : Présidence Tahiti
